


Brother

by hogwartsahoy



Category: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Brotherly Love, Brothers, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2020-10-11 16:15:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20549030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hogwartsahoy/pseuds/hogwartsahoy
Summary: Post Dark AU, James takes a moment to tell Albus what he needs Albus to know.





	Brother

Albus hears a knock on the dormitory door and instantly assumes that it’s mum. Why _wouldn’t _it be her? Considering Scorpius was somewhere in Hogwarts having a rather long and detailed talk with his own father and Harry had left a few moments ago, it had to be mum. And so Albus stays on his bed, staring up at the ceiling and thinking over his and his fathers conversation, letting the words play through his mind again and again.

The bed dips a little and Albus’ eyes drift towards his new companion. He bolts upright as he sees who it is – not mum, not dad come back to say more, not Scorpius back from his talk with his father, but _James_. 

“How did you get in here? You’re not Slytherin.” 

James raises an eyebrow. “What a warm welcome.” 

Albus cringes and rubs his forehead with a hand. He can barely think straight after everything that’s happened. “Sorry– I’m sorry,” he shakes his head. 

“I know.”

He meets James eyes again. 

“McGonagall gave me special permission,” James explained softly. “You know, considering the fact that your meddling with Scorpius _did _just kill the both of us _and _our entire family in that alternate reality.” 

He cringes again and James shuffles closer to him, pulling his legs up onto the bed so he can sit cross-legged right in front of his brother. For a second, he just looks at him. Just takes in exactly what his younger brother looks like. The colour of his eyes, the way his hair falls. Because there had been a time when James had truly wondered if he’d ever see him again when he and Scorpius had disappeared and never made it to Hogwarts. And he can’t help but wonder if maybe, somehow along the way, that had been partly his fault.

“I’m sorry too,” James breathes.

Albus furrows his eyebrows. “Why are _you_ sorry?”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t a better brother to you. That you… that you felt that way about your life, and I just made it worse by joking about it.” He meets Albus’ eyes as he speaks. “I’m sorry that I didn’t see you, Albus. And I’m sorry that it’s taken all of this for me to finally see you now.”

The room is silent for a few moments while Albus takes in James’ words. Understands them, lets them hit him exactly where James intended them to hit. He blinks furiously – he doesn’t want to cry. _He_ _doesn’t want to cry. _

“You didn’t do anything wrong, James.” But even if he refuses to let his eyes give away how emotional he’s feeling at James’ words, his own voice betrays him and gives it away anyway.

And then James is pulling him into a hug.

“I know I haven’t been there for you when you’ve needed me. And I know you feel like you only have Scorpius, but you don’t only have him,” he speaks as he holds Albus close. “You have me. You’ve always had me. You will _always _have me on your side.”

Albus’ reply is a soft and almost silent “I know.”

As James pulls away from the hug, he takes a moment to hold Albus’ shoulders and look into his eyes once more. He doesn’t want to stay longer than he’s needed, and he knows that mum wants to come in and check on Al too, and that she’d _probably _combust if he made her wait too long. So he looks at his brother for one second more.

“Don’t ever think you’re not wanted in this world, Albus,” he hums. “You might disagree with me here, but just take my word for it – I never _ever _want to live in or know of a world where my brother doesn’t exist. Whatever world that is… that’s not the world for me.”


End file.
